[ForOurFuture]

When I started looking, I saw that you could get a Focus equipped with what I wanted for $12500 off the lot. The Civic was going to be $18000, and the Corolla about $16000 similarly equipped.

For a large number of consumers, $3500-4500 is a premium worth paying. They know they're getting a car that is far superior in quality, reliability and longevity. In the long run it's worth it.

Oh, and the Focus comes with a longer warranty, too....

Longer, but still not long enough...

[SmoothTalker]

Better resale value too. You can recoup most of that money later.

[eraser2005]

"For a large number of consumers, $3500-4500 is a premium worth paying. They know they're getting a car that is far superior in quality, reliability and longevity. In the long run it's worth it."

That's the point, though - there is NO evidence to prove it is superior in reliability or longevity. Consumer Reports had it as their top pick of all small sedans (beating the Civic and Corolla), and they can't even measure the difference between the reliability of a Focus and a Civic or Corolla.